Meet Darren Pawski of Synergy Financial Solutions

Darren Pawski, a financial services industry professional with almost 30 years of experience, is the managing director of Synergy Financial Solutions, a boutique financial services firm known for its highly personalized and exceptionally comprehensive approach to financial planning and management. Mr. Pawski began his career in the late 1980s and has served in a number of executive leadership positions with some of the most respected providers of financial services operating in Perth.

An active member of his local community, Mr. Pawski devotes much of his free time to community service efforts and volunteering. While he is a frequent presence at all manner of community service events, Mr. Pawski is especially committed to his volunteer work within the aged-care sector. Outside of his professional work and community service, Mr. Pawski is an accomplished traveler and distance runner who has explored some of the most interesting and unique places the world has to offer.

Known for his firm belief in the value of ongoing education, Mr. Pawski has a long history of helping clients, colleagues, and members of the public better understand the most critical aspects associated with financial planning and financial management. Mr. Pawski, who is currently working toward a master's degree in finance, earned his Diploma of Financial Planning from Deakin University and secured his Certificate IV in Mortgage Broking from Kaplan.

1. In your own words what do you do?

My goal is to help all of our clients develop a personalized and all-encompassing financial strategy that leads to the realization of their specific goals for the future.

2. What led you to your current business?

I've always been very passionate about my role in the finance industry, and Synergy Financial Solutions has allowed me to really sharpen my focus on meeting the specific needs of each and every client that reaches out to our financial planning and management firm.

3. Could you walk us through your process of developing your business?

With my wealth of industry experience, I was keenly aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the industry as a whole. In developing this business, we simply created a structure that we believed would emphasize the strengths while eliminating the weaknesses.

4. Did you encounter any particular difficulty in the beginning, and how did you overcome it?

Of course we did, but we also created an overarching plan that accounted for every possible difficulty in order to ensure there was a contingency in place. Our ability to plan ahead and foresee potential obstacles allowed us to overcome the difficulties we encountered along the way.

5. What is your long-term plan?

We hope to continually grow in a manner that ensures we can continue to offer our highly personalized services to a broader base of clients.

6. Could you share with us some industry insights?

The key to a sound financial strategy begins with a commitment to advance planning and a thorough, comprehensive approach.

7. What are some important lessons you've learned about entrepreneurship/business?

At its core, entrepreneurial success requires an understanding of how to best meet the needs of the consumer.

8. Any tips for achieving success?

You can essentially guarantee long-term success by making a deep commitment to your clients and ensuring they always remain a priority in the decision-making process.

Thanks, Darren!

Meet Joseph Mwansa of Global Empowers

Joseph Mwansa is a Zambian National who currently resides in Perth Western Australia. He was born in Kawambwa District in Luapula Province, and he left Zambia to study Construction and Economics at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia in 2009. He has created an advanced water purification tablet which can aid in the prevention and cure of third world water and food problems. His goal is to reduce deaths caused by dirty water, and to help millions of people during emergencies and disasters. Learn more by visiting http://www.globalempowers.com.

1. What gave you the idea to create a water purification tablet?

I was raised in a village where unsanitary water and malnutrition is quite common; it has always been there. I was probably malnourished at some stage when I was younger; I remember quite fondly those mornings where we would rise from bed to collect fresh water which we would later boil in order to make it safe for consumption. Years later I would find myself in Australia, and visiting my family in Africa after six years, I was saddened at the realization that not much had changed; my childhood friends, the people I had grown up with, somehow seemed frail and hopeless; the problems we experienced together back then are still the same ones chasing them today.

Coming to Australia was a success on its own, something that I believe happened through divine intervention and likewise great determination on my parents' side: they and many others took great joy in seeing me take on this new chapter in my life, and after stepping away from education I knew I had to find another way to repay them. Launching Vigor Aqua and having it positively change the lives of many will be my greatest measure of success and true joy.

2. What are some of the specific benefits of your product, Vigor Aqua?

In developing this tablet, my main focus groups were pregnant women and children. The prevalence rate for malnourishment in pregnant women and children is at some of the highest it has ever been. A lot of women in developing countries lack their daily nutritional needs, including pregnant and lactating mothers. This usually results in stunted growth in kids and babies and an array of other childhood illnesses. Vigor Aqua can therefore accommodate the nutritional needs of both mother and baby by releasing vitamins and nutrients while also providing them with clean drinking water. We also have aging grandparents who are, sadly, left with caring for their grandchildren in the event of their parents passing due to illness and other ailments; these grandparents are left without a way to feed and provide for the young as the cycle of poverty continues. In many instances there might be a breastfeeding infant who now has no way of receiving a proper diet as their only source of a healthy nutrition has passed and clinics and hospitals are often too far to seek help. It is also my wish to work with hospitals, NGOs, and small charities alike to provide Vigor Aqua for emergency and disaster relief.

3. How did your own experience growing up in Zambia influence your decision to start Global Empowers?

Global Empowers started some time ago; I'm just the next person in line, trying my best to take it to the next phase. My parents managed to move us from the village to the capital, Lusaka. They worked hard and tirelessly to ensure their children have bright futures and better their own lives while managing to stay pure and true to their roots, carrying with them the same humility they had known in the village. They were able to provide for many with the little they had, and never once have they sought any reward for their efforts; they did so to give thanks to those who had helped them. Therefore Global Empowers has always been there, it has always been an idea needing to be put into motion.

4. How will sales of your product help you give back to the community through your foundation?

The Mwansa Foundation will receive a percentage of the profits of the sales from Vigor Aqua. These will be utilized to provide kids and adolescents with education, mentorship, and motivation. I believe that representation is key, and through this program, we wish to develop their minds and teach them the importance of education; the mind is a powerful tool, and we want to help them unlock theirs. We focus strongly on personal growth and empowerment.

5. What else would you like readers to know about your project?

Having done much of the background work, we are now in the process of seeking and securing funds. We also welcome likeminded people who are able to share in the passion and vision behind Global Empowers and who can facilitate Global Empowers in carrying out our mission.

Thanks, Joseph!